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my live life list

Life is short and every moment counts. This is My Live Life List. I'm not sure I'll get everything done on this list as I keep adding to it, but I'm sure going to try my best.

Read the Book of Mormon.DONE- in my teens. This was one of the first goals I ever set for myself that I consciously wrote down and kept track off. Over the years I've found this goal to be absolutely essential for my life and any list of goals I've ever made has this on it.

Serve as a missionary for the LDS Church. DONE - 1995-1997. As a little girl, I sang, "I hope they call me on a mission when I have grown a foot or two..." In my heart-of-hearts, I really, really, really wanted to be a missionary. I served as a full-time proselyting missionary in the Chile Santiago South mission.

Work as an actor.DONE - 1998. I worked as an actor for The Pickleville Playhouse at Bear Lake, Utah for the summer. It was one of the most idyllic summers of my life.

Visit Australia.DONE - 1999. Thanks to the U.S. Navy I flew to Brisbane, Australia and met the USS Blueridge for a month long cruise in the South Pacific. I held a koala, hand fed kangaroos, visited Guam and Saipan, and got the worst sun burn of my life when I spent an afternoon making out on the beach with a very cute Sailor boy. Oh, and in traveling there I actually missed my 25th birthday, because I lost a day when I crossed the International Dateline, see.

Tour London, see Big Ben and the Peter Pan Statue in Hyde Park.DONE - 2000-20002. I actually was stationed in England and lived in downtown London for a year and half thanks to the Navy. A dream come true.

Climb the Eiffel Tower.DONE - 2001. A friend and I traveled to Paris in January where we spent three days walking through the streets of Paris in the freezing cold. It was a fantastic visit and I loved walking the streets that Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant, Gene Kelly and others had walked in so many movies.

Visit Italy - Roma, Venezia, Firenze, Pisa.DONE (twice) - 2002 & 2009. My roommate JB and I did a five-day trip to Italy during my years in England. It was my 28th birthday present to myself. Seven years later in 2009, we actually went back on our way to Africa (see 16 below).

Spend New Year's Eve with the man I love.DONE - 2001. Yes, I actually wrote this one down. In my mind New Year's was completely useless unless it was spent romantically and so I always wanted to spend it with the man I loved. My boyfriend at the time completely swept me off my feet by flying to London for Christmas. We spent New Year's Eve seeing Judy Dench in "The Royal Family", then walking to Westminster, dancing on the sidewalk to keep warm while he serenaded me and finally kissing while the bells of Big Ben rang in the new year. I felt like I was in a movie.

See Judi Dench in a live production.DONE - 2001. See above. She is one of the greatest actors of our time. She was magic on stage. I actually saw her walking across St. Peter's Square in Rome during my visit in 2009. She's beautiful and very graceful.

Study music.DONE (sort of) - 2002-2005. I was a Choral Education Major at USU, where I lived my dream of studying music. It was one of the hardest things I've done, and I began to hate music more than I loved it. So I quit; actually I failed my vocal jury (final), but that's another story. Music is still a very big part of my life.

Live at home with my brother Chris and my parents.DONE - 2002 to 2005. Not something I would have intentionally put on my bucket list. It was one of the hardest decisions to move back in with my parents after living on my own for almost three years in England. I did, and got to know my brother Chris for the last 16 months of his life before he died in a ski accident in 2003. Going through this whole experience transformed my faith and my outlook on life. This has to be on my Live Life List as a result.

See John Williams conduct a live concert.DONE - 2003. This man is a musical genius. I saw him conduct at the 2003 A Capitol Fourth concert on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol in DC and as an added bonus Dolly Parton also performed.

Visit Boston, MA. DONE - 2003. I visited my younger brother Jon who was a missionary there. I saw the Make Way for Ducklings statue and swan boats in the Public Gardens, as well as many American Revolution historic sites around the city. It was a beautiful weekend. I loved seeing Elder Boyer!

Live on the East Coast. DONE - 2006 to Present. I remember a conversation with my mother when I was young. "I'm going to live on the East coast," I said. I didn't know how or why, but I knew my life would be here. I now live in Washington, DC and love it.

Sing the National Anthem at a ball game (video here).DONE - 2007. I sang the National Anthem at RFK Stadium in August 2007 for a Nationals versus Phillies baseball game. It was Military Appreciation Night, so I even got to be in uniform and represent the Navy.

Ride in a helicopter (photos here).DONE - 2008 (twice). I deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and I rode in a helicopter twice. My youngest brother Chris wanted to be a helicopter pilot in the Army, so my first ride was in honor of him. I got pretty sick on my second ride, but that's another story.

Visit Africa.DONE - 2009. After deployment I treated myself to a month long vacation and spend two weeks in Kenya. I petted three baby cheetahs, fed a giraffe, went on three safaris and...

Ride in a hot air balloon.DONE - 2009. During my third safari in Masai Mara, Kenya I went on an early morning hot air balloon safari. One of the most beautiful experiences of my life.

See Cate Blanchett in a live production (read about it here).DONE - November 2009. My friend, KB, who has a major crush on Cate, and I saw her at the Kennedy Center in "A Streetcar Named Desire". She was riveting and absolutely beautiful.

See a Space Shuttle launch (see it here).DONE - May 2010. My friend SD and I traveled to Florida and witnessed one of the last launches of Space Shuttle Atlantis. It was one of the most beautiful, incredible sights of my life. Absolutely spectacular.

Become a genuine Chief Petty Officer (read about it here).DONE - September 2010. Survived Chief Induction training and became a full-fledged genuine Chief Petty Officer in the United States Navy on 18 September 2010!

Opening of Major League Baseball at Nationals Park (read about it here). DONE - Opening Day 2011 was soooo cold, but soooo worth it. It was definitely a fun day and the vibe in the Park was awesome. Can't wait to do it again. I love going to baseball games.

Be a tourist in New York City and see a Broadway show (read about it here).DONE - Memorial Day Weekend 2011. I got to hang out with my friend Crystal and her kids in NYC for a day. She's the drama mom to a high school drama group and planned the trip. When a spot opened up, I jumped at the chance to go. We had an improv workshop at the Chelsea Studios, walked to Times Square for lunch at Bubba Gump's, toured Radio City Music Hall (met a Rockette), toured the top of the Rockefeller Tower (gorgeous), and saw Spider-man Turn off the Dark (totally fun). I'm hooked and I'm going back for more.

Go skydiving (video here).DONE. My friend Ori and I went skydiving in May 2014. She and I both celebrate birthdays in March and this was her gift to me for turning 40. It was perfect! I can't wait to go again.

Yo Yo Ma (spell check please!) I just saw a clip from him on the Boston Pops 125th year concert. Catch it if you can. I'm glad I got to share some of the things on your list with you. You really do light up our lives. Love you.